What started as a joyful moment quickly turned into confusion and heartache, as hidden conditions about the puppy’s ownership surfaced after the sale—conditions never disclosed or signed for. The silence from both her father and Joe left her grappling with betrayal, questioning the true cost of her dream companion.
Two months ago my Dad (54M) approached me with an opportunity to buy a female labrador puppy from his friend (let’s call him Joe) who shows and breeds pedigree labradors.
According to my Dad, Joe was offering me the labrador puppy for a heavily discounted rate ($80) because I was his friends daughter. Nothing else was mentioned to me about why the puppy was so cheap but I assumed my Dads friend Joe was just being generous.
Looking back I was definitely naive but I’d been wanting a labrador pup for a long time and the offer was just too good to pass up.
That same day I drove over 2 hours to Joes farm to collect my new 3 month old labrador puppy and sign the paperwork transferring the ownership of the pup to me. Joe never mentioned anything else about the terms of the sale and I never signed any other paperwork or contract regarding further terms.
I want to stress that in the period directly after the sale, neither Joe or my Dad discussed with me the apparent “extra terms” I had supposedly agreed to.
Until recently. I mentioned to my Dad that I had booked Jennifer (name of pup) for her desexing next month and my Dad immediately told me I had to cancel. He went on to explain that he had agreed (on my behalf) to allow Joe to use my labrador to breed more pups for him to sell.
This is apparently why I was able to buy Jennifer for such a discounted rate. I was shocked but frankly not surprised since my Dad has a long history of neglecting to mention important details/lying by omission.
As far as I’m concerned, I never agreed to these terms so I’m not bound to them. Dad and Joe may have had a verbal agreement but I am the legal owner of Jennifer and there was no verbal (or written) agreement between me and Joe so I don’t care.
I called Joe and made it crystal clear to him that I absolutely was NOT planning to breed Jennifer, let alone give him the puppies to sell. He was upset, called me a few choice names, and demanded I pay back the difference between the discounted rate and the normal rate for Jennifer since I wasn’t breeding her for him.
I refused because I legally own Jennifer now and the sale is over. If he wanted me to breed Jennifer he should have talked to me about this personally because I was the buyer, not my Dad.
Joe is apparently fuming, my Dad is angry because he doesn’t understand why its a big deal, and other extended family members who know Joe think I’m being a bitch and should at least pay him back the difference.
But I honestly just don’t feel like I’m obligated to. It’s their fault , especially Joe, for not mentioning these extra terms to me before the sale. He’s the seller and he show know better when conducting his business.
Also according to the “agreement” I would have to breed Jennifer whenever Joe wanted (so I’m guessing nonstop). Plus Joe would not have to pay for Jennifers medical expenses when pregnant and that would all come out of my pocket.
Hard pass.
Conclusion
The original poster (OP) feels betrayed and cornered after discovering a secret breeding agreement allegedly made by their father on their behalf regarding a newly purchased puppy. The central conflict lies between the OP’s assertion of legal ownership and personal autonomy—refusing to adhere to unagreed-upon terms—and the expectations set by the seller (Joe) and the OP’s father, who believe the heavily discounted price implied a binding obligation to use the dog for breeding purposes.
Given the lack of consent and the significant personal obligations involved in breeding, is the OP ethically or legally required to honor the undisclosed breeding agreement facilitated solely by their father, or does their legal ownership nullify any obligation to the seller, regardless of the initial discount?
Here’s how people reacted:
Every breeder I’ve seen who does this type of arrangement has an enormous contract and some don’t transfer ownership of the dog to you until the puppies are born (probably to make sure they are the legal owners of the puppies). The breeder usually covers the dogs’ medical costs and the cost of the spay after the last litter of puppies.
Joe’s agreement is insane and would end up costing you significantly more than if you just paid the full price for a puppy. I definitely think he was trying to take advantage of you because this agreement has nothing in it that benefits you.
I’d spay Jennifer as soon as it is safe to do so because as soon as she is spayed she is useless to Joe.
In addition to this not being your legal obligation, and the medicinal fees for your dog, I assume that this would also include taking care of her puppies.
From my understanding puppies aren’t to leave their moms side for 3 months after birth. So essentially you’d have two options: giving your dog back to him for months every time she gives birth or taking care of puppies for three months each time. Or traumatizing the puppies by separating them before their ready.
Did your dad and Joe talk about that part?
I’m with you – hard pass.
You can’t back out of terms you never agreed to. This would be like buying a car from a family friend who made some unknown to you (the actual owner) agreement with your dad to use the car as an Uber service. They get to use it whenever they want and you pay for any damages and costs associated with it. Next time you get crap from the kind hearted souls who feel bad for Joe, ask if they want to donate money to pay Joe back the difference. They agreed to his “terms” as much as you did.
What kind of idiot breeder doesn’t state such a significant point up front.
And breeding a female dog (and keeping a female dog not neutered) is not insignificant in terms of what it means in terms of your taking care of the dog.
It is ironic since many of the higher quality breeders actually require that dogs they sell be neutered unless they are of a quality intended for show. But this is a condition of the sale along and stated up front.
Get your dear dog spayed ASAP, OP. Don’t tell *anyone* beforehand. Just do it.
I assume that there was nothing about this bizarre plan in the papers you signed. If Joe persists, get an attorney to send him a cease and desist order. Don’t try to deal with crazy people yourself.
Joe and your dad for not making you aware of the actual terms, and you for supporting a backyard breeder. Better insure your purebred for the inevitable hip displaysia. That said, you don’t owe them anything, get your dog spayed and there will be no further discussion.
Also, you do owe us Jennifer tax 😉 I hope she’ll have a good, long, healthy life with you.
NTA by the way. Just curious whether sexism played a role other people’s assumptions about this “deal” you never made.